Changing You
by Slytherin Rose Weasley
Summary: Hermione finds out that she is a Veela, and her mate is none other than Severus Snape. She's determined to change his life for the better, but that's harder when he doesn't want to change. Please read and review.
1. What Is This Feeling?

**A/N: So here we go again. Yet another new story. I know I know, I probably should also update some of my other ones, but I like working on several different projects at once. As usual I am not JK Rowling, and as such anything that you recognise belongs to her not me. I just like writing stuff with her characters for my own amusement. Anyway I hope you like it.**

Hermione sank down onto the bed, her head spinning. She didn't get why she felt so faint all of a sudden. She'd made sure she had a good healthy breakfast, she definitely wasn't on her period and she had had enough to drink. But for some reason unknown to her the room was spinning around and fading into blackness every time she tried to stand. Leaning back and massaging her temples she let out a sigh. This wasn't the first time that this had happened recently. It had been becoming more a regular thing, but nobody seemed to know what was wrong with her. Hermione had already paid a visit to the hospital wing, something that as a staff member she hated doing, and even Madam Pomfrey hadn't been able to find anything wrong with her. She just had no idea what was going on, and to be quite honest she was starting to get fed up of it.

She had had one fear as to what might be wrong with her, but luckily Madam Pomfrey had disproved that. Hermione had been worried that she could have somehow fallen pregnant, and as such would have been carrying her ex partner's child. She guessed it was pretty safe to say she had never been happier to receive a negative pregnancy test. However Hermione wasn't sure what else could cause her world to come crashing in on her several times a day, and to leave her recovering in a shaken heap on the floor. She was pretty certain that her students would soon start asking questions. They were pretty astute like that.

The only person Hermione trusted to help her now was Fleur. Fleur at least knew a range of handy potions off by heart, and Hermione was pretty sure that the older woman would be capable of whipping up something to help her. Maybe she should pay a visit to Shell Cottage. She hadn't seen Fleur, Bill or the kids in a while and it would certainly be nice to have a catch up. It was certainly long overdue.

Hermione waited for the last of the dizziness to recede before pushing herself into an upright position. She gingerly found her feet and clutching onto the bed frame Hermione began searching for her clothes. She didn't want to go for the usual look that she'd been unintentionally wearing for the past few months of a drab school teacher with a broken heart; instead she wanted to wear something that would show her friends just how much she was moving on with her life. Ever since she and Ron had split up, or should she say since Ron had unceremoniously dumped her without so much as a reason, Hermione had retreated inside herself. Today though she wanted to show her friends that the old Hermione was back, especially if she was going to Shell Cottage where she knew Ron's brother Bill would be present.

She slowly selected a soft bottle green top that clung gently to her curves and a paid of tight skinny jeans. Hermione could get away with wearing stuff like this at the weekends, but only if she wasn't going to be in the castle grounds or Hogsmeade. If there was a chance that a student would see her then Hermione had to be dressed as a teacher would be expected to dress. As for her hair, Hermione decided to try and tame it using a simple steaming charm and curling it gently around her wand. She didn't want to turn up looking like the depressive mess that she was.

When she was convinced that she looked good enough Hermione used the fireplace in her quarters to Floo to Shell Cottage. She loved travelling by the Floo Network, having always had an affinity for fire it just felt like the natural way to travel. It was definitely much better than going by broom.

Bill and Fleur both looked up in surprise as a slightly dishevelled Hermione appeared in their fireplace, but both of them greeted her warmly. Hermione had been slightly worried as to how Bill might treat her, but any traces of doubt disappeared the moment he hugged her tightly and offered her a strong cup of tea. She smiled widely and scooped up a two year old Dominique in her arms, the slender child giggling away happily, and exchanged pleasantries with her hosts. Hermione wasn't quite sure how to bring up the subject of what was going on with Bill around.

Fleur however seemed to notice Hermione's apprehension, and she spoke up. "Bill, could you please go and check on Louis? I want to make sure zat 'e 'eez okay." Her throaty French accent still made it hard for her to pronounce the letter 'h' but Bill just smiled and followed his wife's request. Hermione thanked Fleur and turned to her explaining her problem. What worried her most was the look of complete shock on Fleur's face.

**A/N: So what did you think? Please leave me a little review, I'd love to know what you think and it helps me to grow as a writer. If you decided that you really enjoyed this and want to keep up to date with what I'm working on then please feel free to follow my writer's account on Twitter SRWfanfiction. **


	2. I'm A What?

**A/N: So here's chapter two for you guys and girls. I was pleasantly surprised to see so many of you following this story, and I hope you all like this chapter. Anyway as usual I am not JK Rowling and nor do I make a single penny from this. I wish I did, but this is just for fun. Anyway I hope you enjoy this chapter.**

"I'm a what?" Hermione repeated, dumbfounded, staring at the look on Fleur's face. Her friend could not have just said that. She must be hearing things. There was no possibly way she had heard that last sentence correctly. Fleur had to be mistaken, there had to be some other explanation for Hermione's symptoms. There just had to be. There was no possible way that Fleur had just told her that she was a Veela. Surely it was just a fever or something mundane, there was no way that Hermione was one of those creatures of utter beauty.

Fleur looked on as her friend experienced a wide range of emotions, including everything from disbelief to shock and finally settling down to acceptance. Fleur pushed a bottle of Firewhiskey towards Hermione, who gratefully accepted. Hermione had never been one for drinking, but she figured that she needed one now as Fleur launched into her explanation for how she knew Hermione was a Veela. Hermione knew that she needed to let Fleur finish her explanation before she started firing off questions, and to distract herself she decided to start on the Firewhiskey. Hermione filled a tumbler of the amber liquid and tipped it down her throat, grimacing as the heat spread through her body.

"I knew zat you were a Veela from zee moment I met you," Fleur told her, her French accent rippling seductively. "'Ow could I not when my grandmuzzer eez one? I could see it in zee way zat Viktor and Ronald looked at you, even if you did not notice eet yourself. Let me guess over zee years you 'ave become more of a beauty non? You are prettier, more attractive to zee opposite sex zan you were at 'Ogwarts." She pronounced the school's name with bad grace, almost as if she resented it. "You never noticed did you, when more men started drooling over you? You were always too absorbed in your books," she laughed, holding her hands up. "Zat is no bad thing. You are talented and educated, oui?"

Whilst it was interesting that Fleur had recognised that Hermione was a Veela during the Triwizard Tournament, what Hermione really wanted to know was how being a Veela would impact upon her life. She had to admit, much to her dismay, that she didn't really know all that much about Veela; the majority of creatures that she'd studied at Hogwarts either needed to be taken care of or were Dark creatures, of which Veela fitted into neither category. Hermione voiced her worries to her friend, whose mood grew much more sombre with the questions.

"Well …" Fleur paused, wishing she didn't have to be the one to break this news, "you know little of Veela. The main thing which you must understand eez zat Veela will attract a lot of unwanted attention from males and females alike. Zis you might be able to cope with. But you also will 'ave a mate. You need to find zis mate if you ever want to be 'appy. Eet eez more zan zat though. You are soul bonded with your mate, you will know who zey are from zee moment you see zem. Zey may be attracted to you, zey may not be. But if you want any chance of 'appiness zen you will 'ave to win zem over. Not only zis, you will also feel your mates emotions, and zey will be zee centre of your universe. You will never be able to be with anuzzer human, wizard or Muggle, once you 'ave found your mate."

Hermione laughed hollowly, her head falling into her hands. "As if my life couldn't get anymore complicated, now I have to worry about finding my mate and making them want me, or face eternal depression." Hermione reached for the Firewhiskey bottle, not bothering to pour herself a glass and downing it straight from the bottle. She really needed a drink right now.

Fleur placed her hand on top of her friend's and laughed. "Eet eez not zat bad, once you've found your mate you will know. And who could resist you, zee golden girl of zee Wizarding world? Just do not go stealing my 'usband and we will not 'ave a problem," she smiled gently. "'Ow bad could eet be?"

**A/N: So what did you think? Please leave me a little review, they help me to grow as a writer, and I really like hearing your feedback. **

**Shorty653: I hope I didn't keep you waiting too long for this next chapter. **

**notwritten: I'm still smiling, or at least trying to. **

**I'm not sure when this will next be updated as I have several other projects that I'm currently working on, but I promise you this won't be abandoned.**


	3. Puzzling It All Out

**A/N: So here's chapter three. I do have an apology to make in advance, but my updates for all of my projects may be a little sporadic over the next few weeks. This is because I've got a lot of stuff going on in my personal life and I want you to all please be very patient with me. Anyway that's my little apology over. As usual I am not JK Rowling and I don't make a penny from any of this. I hope you like this chapter.**

Hermione returned to Hogwarts with her head in a daze. She was still struggling to take everything on board. Fleur had said that she only knew the basics of Veela lore, mainly sheltered from it by her mother. Her grandmother had been a Veela though, and Fleur had picked up certain things during her childhood. She'd given Hermione a list of books she recommended that the younger woman checked out of the library, saying that the books would give her a sounder knowledge of the changes that she was going through. Hermione had thanked Fleur and hugged her tightly, promising that if anything major should happen she would come back. Grabbing the list she headed to the one place that she could find refuge; the library.

The moment Hermione set foot in the dark musty halls that created the library she instantly felt calmer. She didn't know why but being amongst the books always calmed her down and made her think straight. She instantly made her way round to the mythical creatures section, and started thumbing through the books. She scanned the titles looking for anything that might be relevant to Veela, but also couldn't help tugging out several unrelated titles that she would find interesting for some light reading. Eventually with her arms full of books Hermione made her way to the nearest table and dumped the books in front of her, ignoring the looks from students. It was rare for a professor to be studying in the library, but she couldn't be bothered carrying the books all the way to her office.

Hermione pulled the nearest title, _Veela A History_, towards her and began to read.

_Veela are amongst one of the few creatures whom we don't know much about. They are well known for their famous charm and hideous temper, which when roused causes the Veela to turn into a form of Harpy. These transformations appear to be relatively painless although this is contested due to a lack of eyewitness accounts._

_A Veela's charm attracts all people of the opposite sex, and this can be problematic. A person under the charm of a Veela is easily identified, they are usually seen either traipsing around after the Veela, performing impressive stunts in an attempt to gain their attention or they shout wild claims such as having flown a broomstick to Jupiter. However, none of this will have an effect on a Veela. _

_This is because Veela are each born with a mate with whom they are soul bonded. This mate will be known to the Veela once the Veela is fully developed, with development occurring around twenty five years of age. A Veela will recognise their mate by scent, with the mate having a scent that is irresistible to the Veela. The mate may choose to reject the Veela rather than accept them, and this is something that will send a Veela into a deep melancholy. A Veela, if their mate chooses to accept them, will need to mark their mate by biting their neck just below their ear. Once the venom secreted from a Veela's teeth is inside their mate's body it will change their genetic make up and make it so that no man can put the pair asunder. _

_A Veela will always be extremely protective of their mate, and they can become extremely possessive. They may see ex partners of the mate as potential threats, and people who pose a threat to their relationship will have a sour scent to the Veela. The Veela will, in time, be able to hear their partner in other rooms, and their mood will reflect that of their mate. As such making their mate happy is the key aim in a Veela's life._

Hermione put her head into her hands and sighed heavily. This whole Veela thing sounded like it was going to be such fun. How on earth was she supposed to find out who her mate was? What if it was one of her students? Hermione shook her head again, figuring that she would need to face that bridge if she ever came across it. Until then she needed to try and keep her Veela identity under wraps, although that would be difficult around the students.

Noticing the candle on the desk starting to gutter out and die, Hermione collected her books and headed for the exit, noting a sweet spicy smell, almost like cinnamon, as she left. Hermione shook her head; she'd been reading too much about the Veela and was now she was starting to imagine people's scents. It was laughable really.

**A/N: So what did you think? Please leave me a little review; they really help me to grow as a writer and I love hearing all of your feedback.**

**kittie night: I'm sorry I kept you waiting. Hopefully this chapter makes up for it.**

**Zoek80: Hopefully this new chapter lives up to your expectations.**

**fatyellowrat: I'm glad to have captured your attention. Here's a nice new chapter for you.**

**notwritten: I'm still smiling, or at least trying too.**

**I'm not sure when this will next be updated because of everything that's going on in my personal life, and because I also have twelve projects that I'm currently working on. But rest assured I will return.**


	4. Mates

**A/N: So here we are with another chapter. I'm starting to get a better idea of where I want this story to go, but I didn't want to go straight into Hermione and Severus having an attraction. So enter Cormac McLaggen from stage left. Anyway I'm not JK Rowling and I don't make a single penny from this. I really hope you like it.**

Having spent the past few days confining herself to her chambers, Hermione decided on Monday that it was finally time to surface and face the world. She'd spent the past couple of days trying to work out exactly how her life would change, but she guessed this was something where you needed to experience the practical side of things. You couldn't live your just by reading about it, you had to go out there and get it done, or at least that was what her mother had always told her. Hermione had been stubborn enough to believe that she could learn what she needed to know about being a Veela from her books, but eventually she got an inkling that her mother might be right. Reluctantly Hermione packed away the books, and headed down to the Great Hall to join her colleagues and students.

Lingering at the entrance to the Hall Hermione was wondering whether she'd regret this decision. She wouldn't just be able to smell her mate, if her mate was here, but also the scents of everyone else in the vicinity and their scents would alter depending on the risk they posed to her and her mate. Oh well the only way she'd be able to see if she cope with it was to enter the breach. Hermione wrinkled her nose delicately, wondering how bad this was going to be. She lingered on the threshold, willing herself to take the next step. It was only someone standing behind her, a very nice smelling someone, that persuaded her to move forwards. Hermione turned her head to see who had decided to join her, and was pleasantly surprised to see Cormac McLaggen. Even though they were colleagues, the two of them didn't speak very often. Hermione suspected it might have something to do with when she'd hidden from him at the Slug Club party.

McLaggen proffered his arm, and Hermione found herself accepting it. Maybe Cormac was her mate? He certainly smelt good, and wasn't that what her mate was supposed to be like? Plus they had previous history, there was nothing wrong with going back to an ex was there? The two of them walked into the Great Hall, and Hermione found herself laughing gaily at McLaggen's story about a couple of third years who'd found it funny to try tampering with someone else's broom only to hex their own. She probably should have been concerned for the student's welfare, but at the same time they'd learned a valuable lesson.

Hermione was giggling more with every glass of wine that she consumed, and she pouted when Severus leaned across the table McLaggen asking her if she minded keeping it down a bit. Just because the wine flowed freely at the teachers table didn't mean they could get drunk when they had students to supervise. Hermione scowled in his direction, resisting the urge to say that she could get as drunk as she pleased, with drink being one of the few choices she could still make in life. But she knew that anything she said would come off as her being defensive.

Luckily Hermione didn't have to say anything as Cormac stepped up to defend her. "Hey why don't you just leave the lady alone Snape? She isn't doing anything wrong, just having a nice quiet drink with her dinner. Why don't you do the same and just chill out for once man?" he asked, raising his bare hands in a question.

Snape muttered something under his breath, and turned back to his original conversation, shooting Hermione a look of disdain as he did so.

"Are you okay?" McLaggen asked her, his face a picture of concern. Hermione nodded, reaching for her goblet. How dare Severus be so rude? He'd not been that horrible to her since she was a student. She'd hoped that they could work together professionally but apparently not.

Hermione subsided into silence after that, refusing to be coaxed into conversation by anyone. All she wanted was for dinner to be over so she could back to her chambers and rest.

By the time dinner had finished Hermione was feeling pretty light headed, and she had to make her way to her bed very slowly. She couldn't let the students know that she was drunk; it wouldn't go down well at all. So instead, as she weaved her way along the corridors, Hermione trailed her hand along the wall, ready to stabilise herself if she needed to.

It was only as she reached her office that Hermione realised she'd smelt that sweet cinnamon smell from the library, at dinner. And it had been coming from Severus Snape.

**A/N: So what did you think? Please leave me a little review; I love hearing your feedback and they really help me to grow as a writer.**

**Snapesphoeniks: Here's the next chapter, I hope you liked it.**

**This should be updated once more in the next couple of days as I've already written chapter five. However we have got the funeral to attend on Tuesday and I think a whole ton of family members are staying at ours on Monday so it might be before then, or it might be just after. I can't say which one it will be yet. I'll see you again soon.**


	5. A Dinner Date

**A/N: Sorry sorry sorry. I know I've not been around. But we've had even more major curve balls here. Not only did we have the funeral to contend with on Tuesday, but we also found out that the new job we thought I was going to be starting ... well I no longer have the job. They sent me a letter saying they now wouldn't employ me because of bad references or something. So it's all back to the drawing board and applying for more jobs. However on the plus side it means I'll be around more. Anyway now my huge rant is over, here's the next chapter for you guys. As usual I'm not JK Rowling and I don't make a penny from any of this. I hope you like it.**

Over the next couple of weeks Hermione didn't notice any changes that particularly bothered her. If anything being a Veela had made things pretty handy. She could now avoid someone who she knew to be trouble, and as far as she was aware that person might not have done anything to her before. The best part was she didn't even have to talk to the person, she could just tell by the smell of them if they were going to be trouble. The one part that Hermione really didn't enjoy was all the male attention that she was now receiving. Hermione had never really been one for gifts at the best of times, and suddenly she was being showered with not just gifts but compliments as well. The only person who seemed interested in helping her fend off her unwanted admirers was Cormac McLaggen. Eventually he plucked up the courage to ask her to dinner.

Hermione made a mental note to check whether or not a Veela's mate was immune to the Veela charm, wondering whether that was why Cormac hadn't been falling at her feet along with everyone else. She'd never have imagined or entertained the idea years ago that she and McLaggen could end up together, but now she was starting to hope that maybe he could be her mate. True enough she hadn't felt that overwhelming pull towards him, but he'd made her feel a lot happier than she'd been in the past few years. And her happiness was supposed to mirror that of her mate's. So maybe it didn't matter that McLaggen didn't have that scent, because he made her happy, and he seemed pretty happy too. Plus what would human authors know about Veela traditions? Nothing is what. They wouldn't know a thing, as it was something that they themselves hadn't experienced.

With that Hermione's hopes for Saturday were increased. She wanted to see where things could go with Cormac, their past might be dodgy and they'd had the horrendous date when she was a sixth year, but she was certain that was behind them. They'd been gently flirting for several weeks now, but Hermione knew they had to keep things under wraps with the students around, so now she was resigned to waiting until Saturday to see if anything would happen between them. Hermione tried yet again to suppress the flutter of excitement and nerves that the thought of Saturday night was inspiring.

By the time Saturday had finally arrived Hermione could barely contain her excitement. She felt like a teenager all over again. Hermione shut herself away in her chambers for the whole of the day, trying to make herself look good. She naturally looked good anyway; all of her frizz had smoothed into gentle waves and she had developed gentle curves. Anyway it wasn't like her Veela charm wouldn't make her look good, but she wanted to properly impress Cormac. She didn't want him to fall for her because of her charm; she wanted him to be with her for who she was. She wanted him to know that she'd made the effort just for him.

Hermione slowly made her way to Cormac's office, nervously smoothing down her little black dress. She was worried about how she looked, desperate not to look too slutty. She raised her hand and knocked on the wooden door, holding her breath. It was flung open by Cormac, and she smiled up at him. He seemed genuinely pleased to see her, and this gave Hermione a warm glow. He proffered his arm to her, and Hermione took it. The two of them made their way through the castle, and Hermione couldn't help sneaking glances at Cormac in his suit. She had to admit it looked damn good on him. By the time Hermione had stopped sneaking looks at him, they had reached a nice little Italian restaurant down a side street in Hogsmeade.

"I hope this is okay?" Cormac asked her, worried that he'd picked somewhere either too flashy, or too downtrodden. He wanted Hermione to have a nice evening.

"It's lovely," Hermione replied, meaning every word.

The two of them entered the restaurant and Hermione had to admit that she was impressed. As the evening progressed and the wine flowed Hermione found herself becoming more and more flirtatious, crossing and uncrossing her bare legs attracting Cormac's attention, leaning forward, her hand on his knee. Eventually Hermione suggested that they skip dessert and head back to the castle. She noticed the glint Cormac now had in his eye, and she shuddered deliciously.

They strolled back to the castle hand in hand, and Hermione could feel the excitement building again. She was deliriously happy, and she could tell that things had definitely shifted between her and Cormac. She smiled up at him, and emboldened by the wine stood up on her tiptoes to plant a kiss on his lips. He responded eagerly, wrapping his arms around Hermione's delicate frame, pulling her closer to him.

"Let's take this inside shall we?"

**A/N: So what did you think? Please leave me a little review; they really help me to grow as a writer and I love hearing your feedback.**

**Snapesphoeniks: Thank you, I'm glad you're enjoying it.**

**PurpleBullet: Sorry this took so long. I'd planned to have it up a couple of days ago, but life's been hectic.**

**Hanable-13: I'll try and work on that. So aim to include a bit more description, and work on the chapter length? I can do that.**

**I'm not sure when this will next be updated, but I promise I'll be back.**


	6. A Grave Miscalculation

**A/N: So I guess the main question is, is Cormac as good as he seems? The only way to find out is to read on. So as usual I'm not the beautiful JK Rowling, speaking of whom I heard this morning thanks to the BBC that her next book as Robert Galbraith is coming out in June, and I don't make a penny from him. I really hope you like this chapter.**

Hermione woke up, her head pounding furiously. Something wasn't quite right. Where was she? This wasn't her room, but that was the last place that she remembered being. She'd gone out for dinner with Cormac the previous night and then, her cheeks flushed as the memories came flooding back. And then she'd kissed him on the walk home, figuring that if she'd enjoyed his company then there was a small chance that he was her mate. They'd kissed for quite a while until both of their hands and feet were starting to tingle with numbness. Then they'd headed back to the castle and she remembered their frenzied love making. She'd fallen asleep for the first time in a long time feeling safe and secure in somebody else's arms. But if she was so safe and secure then why the hell wasn't she waking up in her own bed?

Looking around Hermione recognised where she was. But she still didn't quite understand how she'd gotten here. It wasn't as if Hermione had ever been a sleep walker and it was inconceivable to think that she'd start that now. No the only logical explanation for waking up in an abandoned dungeon was that she had been brought here by someone. But who? Surely it wouldn't have been Cormac. He had been so sweet and charming last night, but it wasn't as if anyone else had had access to her chambers. She racked her brains trying to think what exactly had happened. Usually Hermione was a very light sleeper, she'd trained herself to be that way during the War just in case anyone had managed to bypass her defensive charms and crept into their camp whilst they were asleep, but nothing had roused her last night. In fact everything felt a bit groggy. Maybe, quite possibly, she had been drugged.

Hermione tried to pull herself into a standing position, but found that she couldn't. She looked round to find that her wrists and ankles were shackled to the wall, and she didn't have her wand on her. Crap! How was she supposed to work her way out of this one without a wand? She pulled relentlessly at her restraints, but didn't manage to do anything except chafe her wrists. Metal rubbing against raw skin hurt a hell of a lot, and she was sure that the cuffs were too tight. She could feel them pinching her skin, little blips of pain going off in her head.

A low throaty chuckle sounded from across the room and Hermione twisted round again. She could make out a figure in the shadows, half hidden from sight. Whoever it was holding her captive they were a lot bigger than she was. She couldn't hope for them to help her, the fact that they seemed to find her plight funny, told her everything that she needed to know. The most disturbing thought was that this person was either a fellow staff colleague or one of her students. She wasn't sure which option was worse.

"Who are you?" Hermione asked, her voice wavering slightly. She tried not to betray her nerves, but who knew how long she'd been stuck down here and what had happened to her.

She instinctively huddled back against the wall as her captor moved into the light, and Hermione felt as if she'd been punched in the gut when she saw who it was. Her first hunch had been right; it was Cormac holding her here. What she didn't understand was why? What had she done that was so bad that he felt the need to hold her captive in a dungeon?

"Why am I here Cormac? What's so bad about me that you feel the need to punish me?" Hermione asked, trying to blink back tears. She didn't want to show any weakness, but that was kind of hard to do when you were shackled to a wall in a freezing old dungeon.

Cormac sneered, looking down at Hermione as if she was the filth on the bottom of his shoe. "Where should I start? How about when you screwed me around in seventh year? Keeping me sweet and distracting me, just so that your precious Weasley could get onto the Quidditch team? Because you know I thought it was odd that I'd missed that last goal, and it was only later when I heard the sniggers that I put two and two together and realised that you'd Confunded me. Or maybe I'm still sour over our date to Slughorn's Christmas party. Maybe I was naïve to think that you'd asked me to be your date because you actually liked me. When in reality it was all a ploy to try and make Weasley jealous. It didn't matter what I did to try and impress you, I was only ever second best wasn't I?"

Hermione watched with shock and revulsion as McLaggen kept on ranting and raving. She hadn't realised that he'd actually liked her all those years ago; if she was honest she thought he was a conceited self pompous prick who was only interested in her for the social status that she brought. But now she could see how mad and dangerous he really was, and Hermione felt another wave of guilt wash over her. It wasn't like she was really interested in him even now. She'd only agreed to dinner with him out of loneliness, and it was the alcohol that had caused her to kiss him. However a wave of fear washed over her as she saw Cormac's eyes bulge, and for the first time in a long time Hermione was terrified for her safety. She knew Cormac was a threat now because there was the awful odour of rotting fish, and she knew that wasn't anything to do with being in the dungeons.

Hermione shrunk away as Cormac leered over her, and she resisted the urge to scream. It wasn't like people frequented the dungeons, so she highly doubted that anyone would hear her. That was until Hermione saw the shadow of a person outside the room. Then she screamed as loud as was humanly possible. Cormac moved like lightning, clamping his hand down over her mouth, but the damage had already been done.

The door burst open, and Hermione watched as Severus Snape stunned Cormac, causing him to topple to the floor. Snape was as white as a sheet, and Hermione didn't quite know what to say as he worked on the shackles, freeing her. Hermione threw her arms around her saviour, and she couldn't help but inhale the intoxicating scent of him.

"Thank you," she said, and he nodded in reply, his jaw tight. Hermione knew she would have to explain at some point what had happened, but she wasn't ready to do that yet. It wasn't like she even knew what had happened, not really.

"Are you okay?" he asked her, and Hermione nodded, not trusting herself to speak. She couldn't believe that she'd made such a grave miscalculation. She needed to focus on herself for now, and not anyone else.

**A/N: So what did you think? Please leave me a little review; they really help me to grow as a writer and I love hearing your feedback.**

**Hanable-13 : I'm going to try and increase each chapter in length as I go along by a couple of hundred words, that way I can slowly get used to writing more. So this one should be a tiny bit long than the previous ones.**

**I'm not sure when this will next be updated but rest assured I will return.**


	7. Revelations

**A/N: So here we are again with chapter seven. After Cormac's nastiness last chapter I figured Hermione needs some help. As usual I'm not the beautiful JK Rowling and nor do I make a single penny from this. I really hope you like it.**

Hermione found herself sat opposite Severus, twisting the silver ring that she wore on the index finger of her right hand round and round, discussing what should be done about McLaggen. Hermione was adamant that she didn't want to tell McGonagall what had transpired, but Severus was trying to persuade her that the other options weren't any better. Either way, he needed dealing with at present. This wasn't something that could go on any longer, not when he'd placed Hermione in such danger. Severus laid all of the options on the table in front of Hermione; number one they didn't do anything and let him continue as he was before meaning he was liable to mount another attack, two they spoke to Professor McGonagall and let her as Headmistress deal with the matter, or there was option three where Severus would apply enough pressure on McLaggen to make him leave of his own accord.

Hermione sat there, pale as a sheet, refusing to comment on the options other than shaking her head vigorously. It was clear that she didn't really relish any of the options, but they needed to do something. Severus tried yet again to explain to her that he was here to help her, but he couldn't help if she didn't participate. It wasn't really a way to try and impress her, but it would make her think more highly of him if he helped her out.

Severus was sure that she didn't want to tell Minerva what had transpired because she was worried about the repercussions that might come back on her if McLaggen found out and was suspended. He guessed that was a fair enough assumption to make, but if they built a strong enough case against him then there was a small chance that McLaggen might end up in Azkaban, but he would almost certainly be banned from the Hogwarts premises. Hermione however had always been one for giving people second and third chances when they didn't deserve them, and she wasn't about to go and steal a man's career from him. Even if he had just tried to attack her.

Severus however didn't agree with Hermione's train of thought. If a man was prepared to risk his career to attack a colleague, then he deserved to have his career taken away from him. It was a far better scenario to have McLaggen out of the way where he couldn't cause anymore harm to anyone, than to have him roaming the castle where he could easily mount another attack. Severus didn't really relish putting his own career on the line, not so he could deal with that piece of scum, but that meant that he would somehow have to persuade Hermione that they needed to speak to Minerva. Otherwise she was just setting herself up for another fall, and she might not be lucky enough to have someone walking past the next time it happened.

After hours of arguing Hermione finally agreed to go and see Minerva about what had happened, but she refused to go without Severus, stating that she wasn't ready to be on her own just yet. That was reasonable enough he guessed, but it might help Hermione to do this on her own. However when they reached Professor McGonagall's office, hidden behind the statue, Hermione stopped dead in the corridor. Her face was whiter than a sheet, she was shaking furiously from head to toe and there were tears streaming down her cheeks. It even looked as if she was struggling to catch her breath. In other words she was having a full on panic attack.

Severus crossed the corridor quickly to where Hermione was stood, and grabbed hold of her hands. He gently pulled her down onto the floor beside him, and just hoped that no students would come upon them whilst they were like this. Students were vicious little things, and they would use anything they could against their teachers. If any of them came along now Severus could guarantee that they would be serving detention for a month. However for now he needed to focus on Hermione, not some students who hadn't, and who might not, come across them.

He gently massaged her hands and stroked her hair, trying to whisper words of comfort to her, until at last Hermione's breathing became deeper and more even. She seemed to be slowly regaining control of herself, and she turned to look at Severus once more, her face glowing with gratitude. "Thank you," she replied, simply. There was nothing more that she needed to say.

Severus pulled her to her feet once more, and turned to the younger woman again. "Are you sure you're okay to do this?" he asked, not wanting to push her too far. He wasn't sure that he wanted to see her have another panic attack. He didn't think he could cope with that.

Hermione nodded, steeling herself. The two of them made their way across the gargoyle and gave the password, "Toffee Bonbons", before standing on the circular staircase. They waited outside the door with baited breath before Professor McGonagall called them in, and Hermione couldn't help but feel like a naughty schoolgirl again. Funny the things that waiting outside a teacher's office could do to you.

Minerva looked up at the two new arrivals, and gestured for both of them to take a seat. She put aside the paperwork that she had been studying intensely, and raised her fingers in a steeple which she rested her chin upon, not unlike what Professor Dumbledore had done when he was Headmaster. She gestured for Hermione to speak, and the younger woman began her tale after sneaking a sideways glance at the man beside her.

"I'm not sure exactly where to begin. I guess it started a few weeks ago when I began to notice some changes within myself that gave me cause to worry. When the hospital Wing couldn't find anything wrong with me I went and paid a visit to Fleur Weasley. I figured she knows a fair bit about Potions and illnesses so I thought that maybe she could help me. She was perfectly able to give me a diagnosis, it turns out that I'm not the person I thought I was. Instead of being the muggleborn witch who I always believed myself to be, it transpires that I am a Veela. Now I've not told the students, but you know how it works Professor, they can't help but be attracted to me. It's some kind of Veela thing; I don't exactly know how it works." Hermione sighed heavily, and tried to get back on track with her story. "Anyway I found a blossoming attraction between myself and Professor McLaggen and we agreed to go for dinner in Hogsmeade. Nothing major, just a low key affair. When I came round the next morning however, I was chained up in one of the dungeons. I don't know exactly what Professor McLaggen was planning on doing with me, but I know it wasn't nice. I was lucky that Professor Snape came along when he did, allowing me to escape. What's going to happen to Professor McLaggen?" Hermione asked, her voice breaking slightly.

Professor McGonagall surveyed the two members of her staff sitting in front of her. "I think you can leave that to me Miss Granger. Rest assured I will deal with this. You needn't worry Miss Granger; Mr McLaggen won't be bothering you again."

Both Hermione and Severus took their leave, and Hermione felt relief wash over her. She didn't need to worry about McLaggen any longer. However as her and Severus headed off in separate directions she realised something else. She'd been feeling anxious all day, but in herself she wasn't that anxious at all. Instead she'd been mirroring the emotions of her mate. And the only person she'd spent all day around was Severus Snape. Snape of all people was her mate. Oh Merlin this was going to make life difficult.

**A/N: So what did you think? Please leave me a little review; they really help me to grow as a writer and I love hearing your feedback.**

**Kerrald x : I hope this chapter answers your question about how Hermione can be a Veela. I am slowly working on making the chapters longer, so please bear with me.**

**Hanable-13 : Yeah I agree, sex with Cormac is just ewwww. I watched a film the other week where the guy who plays Cormac had a sex scene, mentally scarred for life. I shall definitely work on adding detail then.**

**I should be back fairly soon as I've already written chapter eight for you.**


	8. Broaching A Difficult Topic

**A/N: The story should be shifting towards Hermione and Severus now, and overcoming the obstacles that are in the way of them becoming a couple. However if anyone thinks Cormac should make an appearance at a later date then please let me know. As usual I'm not JK Rowling nor do I own anything that you may recognise from the works of Harry Potter. I hope you like this chapter.**

Hermione mulled things over during the course of the next few days. She somehow had to speak to Severus about what she had discovered. But how on earth were you supposed to tell someone that they were your mate for life and that your future happiness depended upon them? It wasn't an easy conversation to have and every single time Hermione practiced it in the recesses of her mind it never ended well. Sure enough Severus knew what she was, he understood that she was a Veela, and as a Defence Against The Dark Arts teacher he would understand of course that she had a mate, but she didn't ever see him accepting that he was the one for her. Hermione herself was still struggling to come to terms with what she had discovered. Severus Snape wasn't the kind of man that she usually desired. Normally she preferred muscular Quidditch players like Viktor or Ronald. But then again look where that had ended her. Maybe, just maybe, she should take a chance on someone a bit different. Not that she really had a lot of choice in the matter. He was her mate after all. And given how studious Severus appeared to be, he at least would be able to challenge her in new and exciting ways.

It was hard enough trying to accept that a man old enough to be her father was the one Hermione was destined to fall in love with, how on earth could she tell him that she needed him to fall in love with her too? No she couldn't just tell him, she would have to show him. But the only way that she could show him was for him to delve into her memories, and she couldn't do that without a Pensieve. But then he'd know exactly what she was trying to do, unless … That was it! She could pretend that she wanted to study Occlumency. It was an obscure branch of magic, and Hermione had no doubt that she would take to it well enough, but she didn't need to be good at it. Instead she could allow her concentration to wander and show Severus exactly what she had realised. It was a genius idea!

Hermione quickly yanked back her hair into a tight ponytail, and grabbed the clothes nearest to her. They were rather unflattering, but then again that suited Hermione's mood at the moment. She didn't want to look like she was trying to seduce Severus, and she didn't have the confidence required to pull off a more revealing outfit. That was the one downside to Hermione's encounter with Cormac; her confidence was shattered into a thousand tiny pieces. Even though Hermione knew that he could never lay a finger on her again, McGonagall had had him leave the school later that very day after their meeting, she still didn't feel completely secure. No for now Hermione needed to remain completely aloof, and then when she had her confidence back she could return to the Hermione that she used to be. Hermione critically looked over her reflection in the mirror. Good, she didn't look dreary and dull, but she didn't look like she was going out on the pull. She looked normal, casual. All she needed was that little something. She dabbed on a small amount of clear lip gloss and checked her reflection again; perfect.

Hermione made her way to Severus' office and knocked tentatively on the door. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all. She could always leave now, leave before he answered the door and Severus would be none the wiser. That way Hermione could save herself total humiliation. Just as she was contemplating turning on her heel and fleeing the door swung open, revealing Severus, a quizzical expression on his face.

Hermione spoke before Severus, determined to make sure that he heard her out. She only had one chance at nailing this; she couldn't afford to mess it up.

"Hi er Severus. Listen, I was wondering if you could urm help me practice Occlumency. Only I figured it would be a really useful thing to learn so that people don't try and get inside my mind and try and find out about the whole Veela thing and it would really help and," shut up Hermione, you're rambling, he's going to suspect that something's up. "I mean," she smiled brightly, "I'd just really like some guidance is all."

Severus scrutinised Hermione and she was able to see in his beetle black eyes that he didn't buy her story in the slightest. Nonetheless he stood aside allowing her to enter his office. Hermione gasped quietly surveying the room. She had never been detained by Severus when she was at school herself, so she had never had the chance to see what his study might contain. She knew that the offices of members of staff were full of personal items, and she hoped that she might glean something about his personality and lifestyle from whatever possessions were on show. Hermione however was very disappointed to find that the room was minimalist in style and content.

"You wish to study Occlumency then Miss Granger?" Severus asked her, and Hermione found herself feeling like a school girl once more. Not really, she thought in response, but she wasn't about to let him know that this was all a clever ruse.

"You are aware no doubt of the theory surrounding this topic?" Hermione nodded, concentrating on Severus. "Good. Then I'm sure you are aware Miss Granger that you need extraordinary focus for which you need to repel a skilled Legilemens. I will attempt to penetrate your mind; you will attempt to repel me."

Hermione nodded again, bracing herself for the attack that she knew was about to come. When the attack came though, without warning, it was so swift and alien that Hermione couldn't help but throw up her defences. This was what Severus was expecting her to do, but she knew she was meant to keep them lowered so that he would discover her new found knowledge. But the experience felt like a horrible sharp metallic worm burrowing into her skull that Hermione had no option but to throw up the mental image of a brick wall.

She glared at Severus as he withdrew from her mind and spat, "What the hell was that?"

Severus merely raised an eyebrow in response. It wasn't until Hermione pushed him further that he gave her a satisfactory answer. "That is what it feels like to have your mind invaded. You can see why it was such a popular method of torture; the pain is enough to drive anyone insane if they are subjected to it over a long period of time. However your attempts to repel me weren't bad for a first attempt. Now, again."

This time when Severus entered her mind Hermione forced herself to keep her barriers down, no matter how uncomfortable the experience was. She watched on as childhood memories flitted before her eyes: falling off her bike and scraping the insides of her hands red raw, the princess themed birthday party she'd had when she turned eight, receiving her Hogwarts letter and finding out that she was a witch. As Severus delved further into her mind she suddenly realised that he would be able to see hers and Ron's break up. She couldn't let him see that! It was too personal, too painful! Concentrating Hermione built up a mental wall around that section of her memories and focused as hard as she could on keeping that wall there. Several times she felt Severus try and break her fortifications but Hermione held strong. Then he turned to the memories she had been waiting for.

As suddenly as it had began Hermione felt Severus withdraw from her memories, and judging by the colour of his face he now knew what she knew. Severus was now aware that he was her mate. Hermione waited hesitantly for the barrage of questions surrounding the topic but they never came. Instead she watched as his face turned from white to red, a small line of anger jumping at his temple.

"Get out!" he snarled at her. "Go on! Get out!"

Hermione jumped, this wasn't the reaction that she'd been expecting. Okay she hadn't expected him to fall into her arms and to have a happy ever after, but she hadn't expected him to be this angry. She could feel the waves of anger rolling off of him, and turned foot fleeing when she realised that Severus was about to lose control. She had only just shut the door behind her when she felt it shudder, knowing that Severus had hurled something at it. Probably a text book, she thought, shaking her head.

Okay so it hadn't all gone to plan, but at least now he knew. All she had to do now was convince him to fall in love with her. That was definitely going to be the hard part. But for now, she had done everything she could.

**A/N: So what did you think? Please leave me a little review; they really help me to grow as a writer and I really appreciate all of your feedback.**

**fatyellowrat : Hopefully you enjoyed this chapter too.**

**Hanable-13 : Yes it was needed, I didn't want to leave Cormac floating around as a loose end.**

**Kerrald x : The staff weren't previously aware of Hermione being a Veela, although some of them may have suspected it when they found themselves becoming attracted to her. As for a chapter from Severus' point of view that's going to be the next chapter.**

**notwritten : I'm glad you enjoyed it.**

**I'm not sure when I'll be back, but hopefully it won't be too long.**


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